


In Search of Love

by TheFunk



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Ambiguous Relationships, Baba Yaga - Freeform, Fairy Tale Elements, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Magic, Pre-Relationship, in the past though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2021-01-29 01:28:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21401908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFunk/pseuds/TheFunk
Summary: Wanting to get rid of him, Sehun’s stepmother sent him deep into the forest on an errand to the feared Witch of the woods - sure that the boy will meet his death. Sehun did not expect the witch to be a man, much less a sad-eyed one with a gentle smile who invited him to live in his house instead.
Relationships: Kim Jongdae | Chen/Oh Sehun
Comments: 11
Kudos: 71
Collections: ExOnce Upon A Time: Round II





	In Search of Love

**Author's Note:**

> This story was so fun to write, and I really enjoyed writing EXO again! I want to thank my buddy Chrissy who was so supportive throughout this entire process! Thank you so much!

Sehun groaned as he stood, back aching from being hunched over for so long. As he stretched he noticed that the floor was so clean it was practically sparkling. He smiled softly to himself, looking around at his little room. His father would be so happy to see how nice his room looked. Before his father died, Sehun had never kept his room all that clean, cluttered with little trinkets his father would bring back from his travels. It was on one of these such travels that Sehun’s father perished, his wagon found abandoned a two-day walk from their home, his horse wandering in the woods nearby. 

The door to his room flung open, his stepmother staring at him with her hands on her hips. She stared up at him, glare in her eyes. He couldn’t remember what he had done wrong. He always did something wrong, at least to her. Ever since his father died, she had been cold and downright cruel to him. Even his stepsister, Minjoo, had started treating him with disdain. He had liked her, had treated her like his own sister, and then when he needed her the most she turned on him.

“Yes, stepmother? Is there anything you need?”

Her lip curled into what looked like a sneer, “How many times have I told you not to call me that? You shall address me as Madam Jihyun, or I will make you sleep with the cows. Now, why is it that I can still see dirt on my floors? I wanted them sparkling when I returned home.”

Sehun looked down at the floor, “I thought it looked sparkling to me, Madam Jihyun.”

“Well you need to clean them again. I can’t have my shoes getting dirty. The dirty floors ruined Minjoo’s favorite yellow dress.”

Sehun sighed, “Yes Madam Jihyun.”

She left the room and Sehun sunk to his knees, starting to scrub the floors again. Now that he thought about it, they probably weren’t as clean as they could be. If they were actually sparkling, his stepmother would be happy with him. If she was happy with him, maybe she would love him. He scrubbed harder, ignoring the tears that mixed in with his soapy water. He missed his father. Had missed him for years. He missed welcoming his father back home, a new toy for Sehun gripped in his hand. He missed his father’s hugs, and how he’d let him sleep in the same bed when he was too scared of sleeping alone.

His stepmother never did that for him, even when his father was still alive. He didn't need it now, but sometimes he still craved the affection. But never would she try to quell the loneliness in him. She would never try and find a little statue to add to his collection. Sehun was sure she had never even smiled at him. Not since his father died. All he wanted was for her to love him, even a fraction of how much his father did.

He picked up his bucket and moved to the sitting room, noting how clean the wooden floors already looked. Nevertheless, he began scrubbing them again, knees aching underneath him. His pants did nothing to bring him comfort on the cold, hard floor.

When he was finally finished he was drenched in sweat and his knees felt as though they had blood streaming from them, having been rubbed raw from the hard floor. He lifted his pant legs to assess the damage and was pleased to see that they were only a light pink, and that the wetness seemed to have come from his bucket of soapy water. He didn’t care so much about the soap and sweat, he hadn’t bathed yet, and the soapy water would just be giving him a head start.

Before he could prepare to actually bathe, his stepmother called for him. He rushed to her room, not wanting to make her wait. He looked at the floor. She hadn’t when he made eye contact with her.

“Yes Madam Jihyun?”

She looked him up and down with a look of disdain on her face, and Sehun was pleased she didn’t comment on his state of unwash, “Sehun, dear, I have a task I must ask you to go on.”

Sehun looked into her eyes, she had never called him ‘dear’ before, “Yes? Madam Jihyun?”

“I need you to go into the forest and retrieve for me one of the sacred blue moon flowers. I need it desperately and you are the only one I trust to do such a task. Will you help me, please?”

Her eyes were wide and pleading, yearning for him to help her. He felt a warmth fill him. He had finally proven himself to her, finally got her to trust him. Be fond of him. Which would all be amazing except...

“Aren’t the sacred blue moon flowers in the garden of the Witch who lives in the woods?” he asked.

“Yes, I’m afraid so. But Sehun, dear, the old woman has to be approximately 400 years old now, you could easily best her in a fight.”

Sehun puffed his chest. He totally could beat an old woman in a fight, especially if it meant that his stepmother would love him. If he got her something she so desperately needed, surely she would love him?

“Of course, Madam Jihyun. When would you like me to start?”

She smiled at him, for the first time, “As soon as you can.”

He nodded at her and rushed away to take a bath as soon as he could. He didn’t need to be clean for the Witch per se, but after the days long walk to where the Witch supposedly lived, the smell of himself would kill him before the Witch did. He scrubbed himself almost as hard as he scrubbed the floors. All the sweat from his body sliding off of him into the basin. The bath gave him a moment to think. Surely the Witch couldn’t actually be dangerous? She was around 400 years old. But maybe she was that old because she was filled with infinite power? Sehun shivered.

He got out, dressed, and filled his pack with a speed that suggested his home may have been on fire. He looked around his room, trying to see if he had missed anything. He walked out the door before running back and grabbing the small, decorated knife his father left him when he died. In all of Sehun’s seventeen years, he had never seen his father use it. But having it in the dangerous woods would make him feel better.

Sehun stood in the doorway of his stepmother’s room, “I’m leaving now, Madam Jihyun.” 

She nodded at him, “Goodbye.”

He walked out and almost ran into his stepsister as he left. She looked him up and down, her eyebrows furrowed. Confusion, probably.

“Stepmother is sending me on a journey to the Witch’s hut.”

She scoffed, “Try not to die.”

“Thank you, Minjoo, I’ll keep that in mind.”

Minjoo rolled her eyes at him and disappeared into her room. He shook his head, trying to put her negativity out of his mind. He was going to be just fine. He was going to go to the Witch’s house, get the flower without her noticing, and return home to his sister and mother’s love. Nothing bad was going to happen on his journey.

He shouldered his pack and walked out the door. The cool air was stinging his skin and he could hear the breeze rustling the leaves of the trees. Sehun looked back to look at his cottage, the small and cozy place that had been his home ever since his birth. He could almost picture him and his father running around in the grass when he was young, laughing as Sehun tripped over something. Sehun would cry and his father would kiss his boo boo, and everything would be okay again.

Sehun said a silent goodbye to his home and headed off into the woods. He was prepared for a long hike, all the tales put the Witch’s hut a three day walk from him. The tales also spoke of the Witch’s house having legs, the Witch’s hut could truly be anywhere. He didn’t want to have to spend too long trying to find her hut, lest he run out of food.

He grunted as he got to a tricky part in the forest, undergrowth winding along the ground crawled up his legs and tried to trip him. He kicked his legs, walking slow so as not to fall. That would have been embarrassing, hurting himself so early in his journey, so he stayed careful as he walked.

The forest looked the same on all sides of him, and before he knew it the sun was falling from the sky. His stomach growled beneath his shirt, and for a second he feared that a beast was upon him. He pulled a hunk of bread from his pack, and gnawed on it as he walked. It helped quell the ache in his gut, and he smiled for the first time in his journey. He always felt better with food.

Once the sun was fully gone, he stopped to make camp for the night. There was a chill in the air that shook his bones and tightened his skin. He made his camp as quickly as he could. It wasn't much of a camp really. It was just a folded blanket and a small, crackling fire, but it worked for the night, keeping the chill away from him. He shifted closer to the fire, allowing the comforting warmth to lull him to sleep. 

He awoke to birds chirping all around him, and he groaned as he rolled over. The stretched, his muscles pulling taught within him. The fire was out, but Sehun was glad to see it. His father had taught him to never fall asleep with a campfire going, the possibility of causing a forest fire there, but the night had been too cold for him to sleep without it.

He got to his knees, rolling his blanket tight and shoving it deep within his pack. Once he had packed all of his things, he set off on the trail again. With the sun shining through the trees, the air was warm. His skin soon became slick with sweat but he ignored it as he walked.

He walked for another two days, spending his nights curled in front of a warm fire. He was nearly completely through his food stores, and with every bite of bread he grew more anxious. If he didn't find the flowers soon, he wouldn't have enough food for his journey home. He probably wouldn't have enough anyways.

Sehun had left the trail the day before, hoping he would be at the flowers soon. He soon came upon a creek and grinned. Legend said that the sacred blue moon flowers grew near a small creek off the beaten path. He had to be close.

The creek wasn't large, definitely small enough for Sehun to leap over. If his feet were to get, he would probably be in for sickness later. He leapt over the water, almost losing his balance as he landed on the other side. He giggled as he regained his balance. It would have been embarrassing to fall in a creek so small.

He hitched his pack higher on his shoulder and left the creek behind him. He pushed through some branches and found himself in a clearing. In front of him, blue flowers grew in a large patch, they seemed to glow as the light hit them. However, the legend was correct, they were planted next to the Witch’s house. 

Sehun gulped, staring up at the cottage in front of him. It was an old, ratty thing, and stood tall on long chicken legs. His breath nearly left him. The legs didn’t move, but Sehun could feel the life within them. He pictured the house rearing up its leg and smashing down on him if he made the wrong move. He inched closer to the flowers trying not to make any noise. He knelt down in front of them and pulled a small trowel from his pack. He tapped the trowel against the dirt at the base of the flower, digging lightly into the dirt. He didn’t want to hurt the flower, aware that any damage would ruin the supposed magical properties of the flower.

“What are you doing?”

A voice broke through his concentration, and Sehun fell onto his butt. He scrambled up, turning to look at who had spoken. There was a boy standing behind him, eyebrows furrowed in what looked like confusion. He was small in stature, but Sehun thought the boy was probably a little older than him. He had dark black hair and the corners of his mouth were upturned in a perpetual smile, like a kitten’s. But his eyes, his eyes looked sad. A sadness that seemed to fill Sehun, a sadness that Sehun could almost taste the saltiness of it in his mouth. Sehun looked around them, there was nobody else around, but Sehun felt as if there were a powerful being near them.

“Shh, come here.” Sehun waved the boy over.

The boy cocked his head to the side, but knelt down next to Sehun.

Sehun went back to poking at the dirt with his trowel, “I’m supposed to be bringing one of these flowers back for my stepmother. But I need to be quiet or else the Baba Yaga will catch me. What are you doing out here?”

The boy scratched at the back of his neck, “Well, I live here. I’m the Baba Yaga, I guess.”

Sehun gasped, falling away from the other boy. The boy pouted at him as he crawled backwards away from him.

“What do you mean you’re the Baba Yaga? Isn’t she an old scary witch? Is this a disguise? Are you going to kill me?” Sehun trembled as he spoke.   
“I’m not going to hurt you! My name’s Jongdae, I don’t really go by Baba Yaga. The Baba Yaga raised me and taught me. You don’t have to worry about her, she died nearly a hundred years ago. I’m not dangerous I swear.”

Sehun frowned and crawled towards Jongdae, still not trusting his legs to hold him. He poked at Jongdae’s cheek, smiling slightly as it bounced, his skin soft and supple.

“If the witch died a hundred years ago, how are you so young looking? How do I know I can trust you?”

“It’s the flowers,” Jongdae said, pointing at them, “at the solstice they contain immense magical power, enough to turn one immortal, or mortal. And I’d like it if you did trust me, I only want a friend.”

Sehun was about to speak when his stomach growled loudly. He hadn’t eaten a full, proper meal since he left his home, and it seemed it was finally catching up to him. He flushed pink when he realized Jongdae had heard the sound too.

Jongdae smiled at him, “Would you like something to eat? I have meat in my cottage, if you want it.”

Sehun did want meat, he did. But the thought of going into the Witch’s house, with its chicken legs and no way to escape, made Sehun almost nauseous. But he was so, so hungry.

“We can eat down here by the flowers if you want. It can be like a picnic,” Jongdae said.

“I would like that, thank you.”

Sehun didn’t know how Jongdae could tell he was uncomfortable with the thought of being in his home, but he was glad he did. 

Jongdae smiled at Sehun and got up, walking over to the house. He patted one of the chicken legs, and Sehun nearly lost his breath as he watched the house kneel down so Jongdae could climb inside. His house really was alive. Sehun held his breath as the chicken legs extended once again to full height. The house shifted around, and Sehun could only imagine the shifting that was going on inside the house.

He sat down on the ground, twirling his trowel idly in his hands. This would be the perfect time for him to run from the house. Just rip a flower from the ground and sprint home. But there was something about Jongdae that made him want to trust him. Maybe it was the sadness in his eyes, or the warm tones of his voice, that made Sehun stay seated as the house lowered its legs once again. As it sat, he slipped his trowel back into his pack.

Jongdae walked towards him with a smile, a wicker basket held in his hand, and a gingham blanket draped over his arm. He laid the blanket on the ground and began pulling food from the basket. It seemed never-ending, the amount of food Jongdae was pulling from the basket. There was all different kinds, and they all looked warm and delicious. Sehun could feel his mouth begin to water.

“That was so fast! Did you have all this ready already?” Sehun asked.

Jongdae chuckled and a light seemed to ignite in his eyes, he held his hands up and wiggled his fingers at Sehun, “Magic.”

Sehun would have been embarrassed, because of course the one raised by the Baba Yaga would be able to conjure up a feast, but Jongdae cut him off by handing him a plate piled high in food. Once Jongdae took a bite of his own food, Sehun attacked his. He probably looked like an animal, but he felt like he got a pass. He had been surviving on nothing but stale bread for his entire journey. This was the greatest food he had ever tasted in his entire life.

Sehun could feel eyes on him. He looked up to see Jongdae gazing at him with a smile on his face. He blushed, wiping crumbs from his mouth. As nice as Jongdae was, which he was, Jongdae was so nice and pretty, Sehun was still confused about many things.

“Why were you raised by the Baba Yaga?” he asked.

He wanted to take it back immediately, the light that had sparked in Jongdae’s eyes had extinguished at the question. But it was too late.

“My mother had been relentlessly pursued by a man in her village when she was just a child. He was a creep, wanted to own her and would do anything to get her. My mother was young, desperate, and afraid, when she wandered into the forest and found the Baba Yaga. Baba Yaga offered to turn the man into a deer, in exchange for something from my mother. Twenty years later, my mother gave birth to me, and the Baba Yaga came to collect what she was owed. Since then the Baba Yaga raised me as her own. When I turned 19, she gave me a potion made of the moon flower, and I became immortal. I lived with my mama in this cottage for nearly two hundred years before she decided to was time for her to move on. She was tired of being chased by hunters, our house fleeing from their horses and dogs. She took another potion for mortality, and died the next night in her sleep.” Jongdae picked at his food as he spoke.

Sehun felt his heart drop, “Have you been alone for a hundred years? Does that get lonely?”

Jongdae nodded, “Everyone that sees my house runs, afraid mama will swoop down and kill them. I’m so glad you decided to stay and eat with me.”

The food in Sehun’s mouth turned to ash, he knew that soon he would be leaving Jongdae alone again, “Why don’t you get a new house? One that doesn’t scare away new people?”

“I can’t get rid of Min Min. He’s my only friend, and everything I have left of mama is in that house.”

Sehun nodded, he could understand. His father hadn’t left him many things, but what he did Sehun treasured, and took with him wherever he went.

“My father died when I was younger. I miss him everyday. I live with my stepmother and stepsister, but they don’t like me much. I feel lonely all the time.”

“If you feel so lonely there, will you go back to them?” Jongdae asked.

Sehun nodded, “If I bring back one of the moon flowers, stepmother will finally love me.”

Jongdae smiled sadly, “I wish you would stay here. With me. But if you really want to go back, I can help you pick the prettiest flower in my garden. I hope you will be able to feel that love again.”

Sehun smiled at Jongdae, “Thank you. I hope you do too.”

They tucked back into the food, and soon Sehun was full to the brim. The sun was starting to set in the sky, and Sehun knew he couldn’t stay any longer. He pulled his trowel from his pack and set it beside him.

“Is it time?” Jongdae asked.

At Sehun’s nod, Jongdae held his hand out for Sehun’s trowel. He dug a wide circle around the flower, making sure to collect all of the roots underneath the soil. Jongdae summoned a flower pot from thin air and placed the moon flower gently inside. He didn’t speak as he handed it back to Sehun.

Sehun’s words came out with a whisper, “Thank you so much.”

Jongdae nodded at him and handed him the wicker basket, “Take this with you. There is enough food inside for a six day journey. It will stay warm and tasty the entire time. And take the blanket too, I can feel that it will only get colder in the coming nights.”

Sehun took the blanket from him, “Jongdae...”

“I hope you have a safe journey. Come visit me, if you ever get the chance. Min Min and I are pretty fond of this river, and I couldn’t bear to leave my garden. We’ll be here, if you ever wanted to come see us again.”

Sehun nodded, “I will.”

“Now get going, it’s getting dark, and you should try to get home as soon as possible.”

Jongdae smiled at him, waving as he turned to leave. Sehun walked and his heart ached, thinking about how as he left, Jongdae’s eyes looked even sadder than before. He didn’t want to think about how Jongdae had gone back to his empty house, filled with the memories of his mama long gone, his only company the living legs of his own home.

He clutched the flower pot close to his house and trudged home. Jongdae hadn’t lied, the food was warm and delicious his entire journey. The blanket kept him toasty warm, and he couldn’t help but think that Jongdae had done something magical to the blanket as well. His journey home was much more pleasant than his journey to Jongdae’s.

Sehun found the path again, and made his way the short walk home. Night was falling again, and Sehun wanted to get to his house before it became too dark to see. He picked up the pace, and soon his house came into view. He grinned and began to run. It was finally happening, finally he would feel the love of a family again.

He opened the front door as quietly as he could. If his family was sleeping, he didn’t want to wake them up. He walked gingerly towards his stepmother’s room, seeing light peeking out from under the closed door. He rested his ear against the door, listening for sounds of movement. He smiled as he heard voices, and went to open the door. He stopped frozen in his tracks once he could make out what they were saying.

“Do you think he died? He’s been gone for like a week.” That was his stepsister’s voice, he was sure of it.

“I hope so, I’m so fucking tired of seeing him look at me with those disgusting puppy dog eyes everytime I speak to him. Once that bastard dies, we’ll finally be free to do whatever we want, and not have to carry him around like the dead weight he is.”

Sehun heart crumpled in his chest and his throat closed as if he was choking. His stepmother wanted him dead. She wanted him to die! She never wanted the moon flower, she wanted the evil Baba Yaga to murder him.

Tears dripped down his face as he heard his stepsister laughing. He would never find love here. Not when the only family he had left in the world wanted him dead. He wiped at his tears and turned away from the door, leaving the house. Let them think he had died, for all he cared.

He made it to the trail in front of his house and began to run. He ran as fast as he could, leaping over tangled roots and hidden holes, getting as far away from his house as he possibly could, as quickly as he could. His breath was ragged as he ran, tears still running down his face. Cold wind stung at his face but he didn’t care. He ran until his legs collapsed underneath him. He sat and sobbed, eating the food Jongdae had sent him away with. He crawled underneath Jongdae’s still warm blanket, and fell into a restless sleep.

When he woke up his muscles ached and his joints cracked but he ignored it and shoved a piece of fresh bread in his mouth. He tied the blanket around his shoulders and started off further into the woods. He was still running. Sehun had never run so fast and so far in his life, but the further he got from his old home, the stronger his legs felt underneath him.

He stopped when he came to a familiar river. He smiled and leapt over it. He broke through the clearing and saw that Jongdae hadn’t lied. Min Min was standing where he had been the last time, shifting his stance slightly as Sehun approached.

“Jongdae!” Sehun yelled.

He couldn’t see Jongdae anywhere but he knew he had to be close by. Sure enough, Jongdae stuck his head out of one of the windows on the side of his house.

“Sehun?” his smile grew as he recognized Sehun standing at the foot of his house, “Have you come back to visit me?”

Sehun scuffed his shoe against the floor, “Actually, I’d like to take you up on your offer.”

Jongdae looked confused and soon Min Min had kneeled and Jongdae was standing in front of him, “My offer?”

Sehun nodded, taking Jongdae’s hand in his, “If it’s okay with you, I think I’d like to stay.”

Jongdae gasped, a large grin growing on his face. His eyes were shining bright and he rushed forward into Sehun’s arms. Sehun wrapped Jongdae in his embrace. Jongdae’s body was warm, and so small that he fit perfectly into Sehun’s arms. Jongdae was shaking in his hold, and Sehun could feel his shoulder becoming wet.

Sehun pulled away from Jongdae and wiped tears from his cheeks.

Jongdae’s voice was shaky as he spoke, “That’s more than okay with me.”

Sehun smiled, cupping Jongdae’s face in his hand, stroking the apple of his cheek with his thumb. Even though tears still slipped from Jongdae’s eyes, Sehun realized that they had never shone as bright as they did now.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave me a kudos and/or a comment if you enjoyed it, I'd love to hear from you!


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